EARLY JANUARY SKI CONDITIONS AT WHITEFACE

The last week or so has been pretty cold here in the northern reaches of the Northeast, especially at higher elevations, and today we finally got a break from it. The temperature was in the 20s and it felt like a little heat wave. You know it’s been really cold when temperatures below freezing feel mild. It also helped that there was practically no wind on the mountain. Overall, it was a great afternoon for skiing at Whiteface.

The view from Little Whiteface today.

The view at the end of Approach.

Looking down Brookside.

The mountain received several inches of fresh snow overnight, which helped spruce up the trails. I didn’t go up to the summit today, so I can’t speak to the conditions on those runs, but the snow everywhere else was packed powder, although you could find icy spots where the snow had been scraped off in high traffic areas. This week is a good week for whale watching at Whiteface, with multiple runs still covered in large whales, including Upper Skyward, Niagara, Victoria, Boreen and Lower Thruway. Some of the whales are seriously impressive in size.

Upper Northway.

Whales on Lower Thruway.

The view today near Lookout Below.

For the second day in a row, my runs of the day were Essex and Upper Northway off Little Whiteface, with The Wilmington Trail being an honorable mention. I took the right side down both Essex and Upper Northway and really enjoyed them, especially Upper Northway, which had a lot of snow to play in along the edge. The Wilmington Trail gets an honorable mention because, for the first time this season, I finally went to check out the view near Lookout Below. It was beautiful as always!

Never Quit Skiing,

Lincoln